Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson covers the State Capitol for Wisconsin Public Radio. Shawn joined the network in 2004. Prior to that he worked for WUIS-FM, a public radio station in Springfield, Illinois. There, Shawn reported on the Illinois legislature. He also managed the station's western Illinois bureau, where he produced features on issues facing rural residents. He previously worked as an Assistant Producer for WBBM-AM radio in Chicago.

Shawn's work has earned awards from the Associated Press and has been featured on National Public Radio.

A Wisconsin court has released an enormous number of emails — 27,000 pages — from a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker.

Kelly Rindfleisch was convicted last year of using her government job to do illegal campaign work. At the time, Walker was the Milwaukee County executive.

The emails paint a picture of constant coordination between Walker's county office and his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. They were made public in the middle of Walker's gubernatorial re-election campaign, and at a time when the governor is considered a presidential hopeful for 2016.

A little more than a year ago, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall election after an epic battle with unions that gave him folk-hero status with many conservatives. Some political observers now consider him a presidential contender.

But Walker is downplaying that talk, even as he takes steps that hint at national ambition.

The state of Wisconsin is locked in an emotional fight over mining. Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, is pushing a bill that would clear the way for one of the world's largest open pit iron mines. Supporters hope the project will rejuvenate an industry that helped to build Wisconsin. But the proposal has fierce opposition, as we hear from Shawn Johnson of Wisconsin Public Radio.

Wisconsin voters head to the polls again next week, just two months after their first ever gubernatorial recall election. Defeating that recall brought the state's Republicans together, but choosing among four GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate is showcasing the party's divisions, as Wisconsin Public Radio's Shawn Johnson reports.

There's just a week to go before Wisconsin holds a recall election for governor, only the third in U.S. history. Republican incumbent Scott Walker faces Democrat Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee. And while Democrats forced this election, it's Barrett who finds himself playing catch-up. Wisconsin public radio's Shawn Johnson has the story.